By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net

HOW can you determine if a certain place has not been explored yet? You can Google it. I did that and found some travel websites and some online forums that had basic information about the place. But when I got to a Wikipedia entry, I was surprised that it only had a short description about Bantayan island. It included a short description of its location, the population, and the different towns on the island.

Perhaps one travel website was right. Bantayan island is one of the “best kept secrets” of Cebu province. One possible explanation is that it takes half a day to get there, if you’re coming from Cebu City.

To get there, you have to travel from the city to Hagnaya wharf in San Remigo, where roro boats are docked. We went there using hired vans (I was sent there to cover an event of the Government Service Insurance System). The roro (a boat that can carry vehicles and people) ride took another hour to get to the Santa Fe dock.

Here’s a video I took of the roro vessel.

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By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

CEBU, Philippines–I have never been to an SM mall this spacious. Not even that overly hyped Mall of Asia sitting near (no, on top of) Manila Bay.

While covering a Smart event held at SM Cebu, I got to kill some time in the recently opened North Wing. The picture above was taken from the second floor. Also this one below but from the other side — and on a different day, spot the difference yet?

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By Cebu Daily News

CEBU CITY, Philippines–Owners of pension houses and suites have organized themselves in a bid to upgrade the quality of rooms and facilities in Cebu.

“(We know) that pension houses play a vital role in Cebu’s tourism,” said Augustin L. Maramara, founding president of the Association of Pension Houses and Suites in Cebu Inc. (APHSCI).

Maramara said the continuous flow of tourists in Cebu makes hotel rooms in demand, often resulting in room shortage.

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IT’S Cebu Business Month, and the Queen City of the South aims to strengthen the country’s tourism industry as it plays host to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Tourism Congress from June 14 to 15 at the Cebu International Convention Center. The event is being organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Here’s an excerpt from Irene Sino Cruz’s story for the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

Mila Espina, chairperson of the tourism congress committee, said Cebu was prepared to promote tourism further as it has laid the groundwork for links in the Asian region.

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